Facebook looking to buy drone company Titan Aerospace

Buying Titan Aerospace would help Facebook bring internet access to the less developed world. (Courtesy Titan Aerospace)

Facebook is reportedly in talks with solar drone maker Titan Aerospace to buy the company for $60 million.

The move could help Facebook, one of the major backers of Internet.org, achieve one of the initiative’s goals: to bring internet connectivity to the world.

Titan’s atmospheric drones are solar-powered and can run for up to five years without landing.

The deal, first reported in TechCrunch, means that Facebook could use the “atmospheric satellites” — a distinction that suggests they would fly above FAA-regulated space — to increase regional connectivity. The drones could also be used for weather monitoring or earth imaging.

CNBC confirmed with a second source the deal and the $60 million price tag.

Internet.org is ostensibly a humanitarian enterprise to bring internet access — and the benefits that come with it — to the two-thirds of the world that doesn’t yet have it. But any spread into the developing world is a boon for Facebook, whose growth rate might slow as it tries to reach new users.

The more connected people in the world, the more who can sign up for Facebook. The company’s recent $19 billion purchase of WhatsApp, which is popular in developing countries, signals a move in a similar direction.